"Simple, it is a folk song that have probably been around 100 of years, then a local songwriter/singer translated it to malay entitled ' Terang Bulan' probably meaning ' Mamula Moon' or clear moon - listen to lyrics of song. When they were looking for a tune for national song, they may not realize the local chap copied from this folk song. So voila!!! we have the negaraku. Copy catting has been around for thousands of years so no big deal, it is just that it is a national anthem."
"The anthem was previously known in Malaya and Indonesiaas a popular song entitled "Terang Bulan" (Moonlight), which has since been banned from being performed. In addition to the national anthem, there are also thirteen state anthems."
"I did some checking. That is the official story, and the Perak State Anthem was supposed to be similar to Keroncong melody, Terang Bulan, a popular song in Indonesia and Malaysia in the 1930's. If that was so, then Mamula Moon would be a plagiarism itself, since it was released somtime in the 1940's.
Anyway, the tunes are too similar so someone obviously copied someone else. Who knows?"
Negaraku? (Official Symbols)
Negaraku
Tanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidup bersatu dan maju
Rahmat bahagia Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita selamat bertakhta
Rahmat bahagia Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita selamat bertakhta
The Malaysian anthem Negaraku (My Country) was selected by a special committee headed by Malaysia's first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, who at the time, held the title of Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs.
Prior to the selection, a contest, open to music composers from across the world, was held to pick a composition that would be used as the national anthem for the soon-to-be sovereign nation, the Federation of Malaya. The entries received included those from internationally renowned composers. However, none of the compositions were deemed suitable.
As such, a ceremony was held at the Police Depot, Kuala Lumpuron Aug 5, 1957, to select a suitable composition. It was here that the Negaraku, an adaptation of the Perak State Anthem, was chosen by the committee; it was favoured for its traditional flavour and melody.
Perhaps, the other reason why it was chosen was the fact that the tune has a romantic historical background, which dates back to 1876. It was linked closely to the fate of Sultan Abdullah of Perak who was exiled to the Seychelles by the British colonialists following the assassination of the state's first British Resident, J.W.W. Birch.
The Federation of Malaya, with the voluntary inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak, and the exclusion of Singapore and Brunei, became known as Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. It was only natural then, for the Negaraku to be adopted as the national anthem of the newly restructured nation.
On April 4, 1968, the National Language Act was gazetted. This officially makes any act of disrespect towards the national anthem a punishable offence. Also, the honour of performing the anthem is restricted to designated individuals.
In 1992, during the National Day celebrations, the Negaraku was given a livelier tempo to make it more contemporary, as well as to signal the dynamic progress that the nation has seen as it moves towards Vision 2020.
Is Negaraku from a Hawaiian melody?
BY TEH ENG HOCK
KLUANG: Is the Negaraku adapted from a Hawaiian melody?
This question stirred in his mind when Mohd Zain Sahadan, 49, heard his son playing a record from his antique collection.
The song, entitled Mamula Moon by Felix Mendelssohn and His Hawaiian Serenaders, carried the melody of the national anthem but had a slower and more romantic beat.
Zain, who works as a junior general administrator with the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) here, said he felt excited when he heard the tune.
An avid antique collector, he said he had owned the record for more than 10 years without realising the significance of its content.
"I bought it together with 10 other records from an old man for RM500.
"Recently, my son rummaged through my antique collection and played the song on the gramophone.
"Only then did I notice the similarity," he said, adding that he believed the record dated back to the 1940s.
The record showed the name of song, the artiste and also indicated that it was made in England, but there was no mention of the year it was released.
Checks on music websites showed that Felix Mendelssohn and His Hawaiian Serenaders were artistes in the 1940s.
According to www.cduniverse.com, they played Hawaiian-style music, while www. musicweb-international.com described the band's music as "immediately recognisable by its swing, swooning, sensual ethnic style".
This Mendelssohn should not be confused with the 19th century German composer and pianist Felix Mendelssohn.
History has it that the Negaraku was adapted from the state anthem of Perak, which had a similar melody to the keroncong-influenced Terang Bulan, a popular song in the 1930s in Indonesia and Malaya.
It was also a familiar tune in the island of Mahe in the Seychelles where a former Perak Sultan lived in exile. A French band used to play the tune when it performed on the island.
There is, however, no record of the exact origin of the melody.
Some historians believe that a well-known 19th century French poet and composer, Pierre Jean de Beranger, wrote the music.
But there is no reference on any link to the Hawaiian Mamula Moon.
Go
here to listen to the song.
